Tag Archives: Night (9pm-5am)

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Macedonia, OH – Fire chief credits sprinklers with putting out arson fire at hotel

A Virginia man has been charged with first-degree felony aggravated arson in connection with an allegation that he set a mattress on fire at the Highland Road Motel 6 on July 29.

Fire Chief Tim Black said the only reported injury in the late night fire was a 4-year-old boy sleeping in a neighboring room who suffered mild smoke inhalation. He said the boy was not taken to a hospital, but “was just checked out” at the scene.

Black said that thanks to the motel’s sprinkler system, damage was limited to the room with the fire. About half of the mattress was burned and there was some water and possibly some smoke damage in the room, said Black. He did not have a damage estimate.“

[Sprinklers] work. They work well,” said Black.

He said the motel was evacuated for an unspecified period of time.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Redmond, OR – Electrical fire at Pronghorn Resort extinguished by sprinkler system

Shortly before 9:30 p.m., firefighters were called to Pronghorn Resort between Bend and Redmond on the reported maintenance building fire, said Fire Marshal Traci Cooper.

Crews arrived and found the fire sprinkler system had been activated and there was smoke coming from the eaves of the building, Cooper said. They entered the building to find a small blaze that had been put out by the sprinkler.

The fire was believed to have started from an overheated electrical charging box, the fire marshal said.

Mutual-aid help was provided by Crook County Fire and Rescue and Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies, with station coverage by Bend Fire and Rescue.

There were no injuries and losses totaled $500, Cooper said.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

New Philadelphia, OH – Dust collector fire at manufacturing facility limited by sprinkler system

A dust collector fire Monday evening at a Ohio manufacturing plant caused $100,000 in damages, the New Philadelphia Times-Reporter said in an article published Tuesday. Responding to the Gradall Industries Inc. facility in New Philadelphia, OH at about 10:15 p.m., firefighter discovered smoke coming from the building’s powder coating area and determined the fire’s source was the dust collector, New Philadelphia Fire Department Capt. Jim Sholtz told the newspaper. A sprinkler system in the powder coating area helped contain the flames to the immediate area. Fire crews remained on scene for about an hour and 45 minutes, the Times-Reporter said.

Place of Worship

Chattanooga, TN – Sprinkler system limits spread of early morning church fire

Fire officials say a sprinkler system saved a local church from burning down this morning. Chattanooga firefighters, responding to an alarm around 4:30 a.m. at Silverdale Baptist Academy at 7236 Bonny Oaks Drive, found a small fire in a utility room, Lt. Joe Ervin said in a news release. The sprinkler system activated and extinguished the fire, saving the church, which is valued at $4 million, according to the news release. Water from the sprinkler heads was still flowing until firefighters were able to shut it off, leaving some significant water damage. No injuries were reported. Firefighters said the fire might have originated around a melted mop bucket in the utility room. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Residential, Residential High Rise

Spring Valley, IL – No injuries in high-rise residential fire extinguished by sprinkler system

*** Please See Sprinkler Saves Blog Note to Editor Below ***   Sprinkler damage: Spring Valley high-rise residents displaced.  No one was hurt in a Sunday night fire at the Spring Valley high-rise, but 24 residents were displaced by heavy water damage from the sprinklers. At Monday’s city council meeting, Mayor Walt Marini commended the Spring Valley Fire Department and first-responders for the speedy response to a third-floor fire at 419 W. Erie St., which fortunately was equipped with a sprinkler system that put out a fire that’s still under investigation.  Spring Valley fire chief Todd Bogatitus said the American Red Cross assisted the 24 residents who had to vacate the building.

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To: Tom Collins

Good Afternoon,

I just read your article citing “Sprinkler Damage” in the high-rise apartment fire in your community. Of course, it is the fire that caused the damage, not the sprinkler. The sprinkler would not have activated if not for the fire. And, the fire, had it not been put out by the sprinkler, would have caused much more significant damage, and could have seriously injured or killed the residents.

While my thoughts and prayers go out to the displaced residents, I was so thankful to see that no one was hurt or killed. The automatic fire sprinkler system, and the quick response from the fire service, are to thank for that positive outcome. We have seen to many recent and tragic examples of fires in high rises that were not equipped with fire sprinkler systems (London/Grenfell Tower, Honolulu/Marco Polo Tower).

Please let me know if you would like to discuss this point of view further. Thanks for your consideration.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Rehoboth Beach, DE – Overnight laundry fire in basement of resort hotel put out by sprinkler system

A basement fire already extinguished before emergency personnel arrived forced the evacuation of all guests from the Atlantic Sands Hotel in Rehoboth Beach just before midnight. It was still Sunday, around 11:55 p.m., when the Rehoboth Beach Volunteer Fire Company dispatched to the hotel, located at 101 North Boardwalk, for what was called in as a kitchen fire in the basement, fire officials said.

Rehoboth Beach Firefighters, Rehoboth Beach Police and Atlantic Sands Security personnel evacuated all guests. But a basement dryer had caught fire and the sprinkler system had already put it out, officials said. Firefighters remained on the scene for a couple of hours removing smoke and water from the sprinklers.

No injuries were reported. Rehoboth Beach Firefighters were assisted by Lewes Fire Department, the Bethany Beach Fire Company, Rehoboth Beach Police and Sussex County EMS.  The Indian River and Milton Fire Companies covered the Rehoboth Fire Stations during the alarm.

Apartment Building, Residential

Vancouver, WA – Late night apartment fire controlled by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Four families are without homes after a fire broke out inside an apartment complex in Vancouver late last Wednesday night.  The Vancouver Fire Department said firefighters were called to the Aurora Apartments in the 8100 block of Northeast Fourth Plain Boulevard around 11 p.m. Crews said they arrived to see smoke coming from the side of the three-story complex. Firefighters quickly entered the structure and found a sprinkler-controlled fire in a second-floor unit. They were able to knock out the fire within 15 minutes.  All residents made it out of the complex safely and no injuries were reported.  The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Edmonton, AB, Canada – Arson fire in pub at historic building contained with help from sprinkler system

Firefighters were called to a downtown Edmonton pub early Tuesday morning, after several kitchen appliances were turned on during a break-in. Crews responded around 4:20 a.m. to alarms at Mercer Tavern, located inside the Mercer Warehouse on 104 Street near 104 Avenue. “The second call came in stating that the delivery gentleman at the back of the building opened up the back door and found smoke coming out and extensive heat from the building,” district Chief Brian Lees said, adding that at that time, the call was upgraded to a structure fire.

Crews arrived on scene and found what appeared to be smoke billowing out of the kitchen’s back door. When firefighters entered the building, their equipment detected very high levels of carbon monoxide so they quickly went back outside.

“When you get 260 [parts per million] in an old concrete building like this style, there’s no way of ventilating it when the gas gets moving because of the design of the building. They made a good decision to pull out of the building and start ventilating and get the CO levels down,” Lees said.

Firefighters discovered all of the burners on the stoves and gas-fuelled toasters were on when they arrived. Mercer Warehouse spokesperson Justin Archer said after the tavern was closed early Tuesday morning, someone broke in and turned on the gas stoves. The heat from the industrial appliances set off the sprinkler system, which in turn produced steam.

“You know what, it could be that he was hungry and wanted to make himself a meal. I’m not too sure, ” said Mercer Warehouse owner Devin Pope. “The fellow, we do not recognize so we aren’t too sure what he was thinking. The police are going to figure that out.”

Archer said several bottles of alcohol were also stolen. He said the tavern would be open at 5 p.m. Tuesday. Crews ventilated the building, got the gas turned off, and put the fire out with the help of the sprinkler system. The Mercer Warehouse is home to several eateries, over a dozen small businesses, and entrepreneurial mentorship company StartUp Edmonton. There’s no word on how much damage was caused.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Miami Beach, FL – Overnight electrical fire at resort hotel extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Hundreds were evacuated from a Miami Beach hotel early Tuesday morning after an electrical fire broke out. Crews responded to the scene outside the Deauville Beach Resort at 67th Street and Collins Avenue around 3 a.m. A hotel employee told NBC 6 that a generator caught fire outside of the building and that no one was injured.

“The wires came loose and apparently burnt up. So the only thing that burnt up was the wire, a temporary wiring that was going to the electrical room and the fire sprinkler for the building actuated and it controlled and extinguished the fire,” Miami Beach Fire Rescue Capt. Jorge Linares said.

Guests were forced to evacuate their rooms as firefighters shut off the power for safety precautions. FPL crews were on the scene and guests are still being kept out of the building as a precaution. The Red Cross was on the scene to help those who have been displaced. “We’re going to have the building officials and engineers check it out. It could be a couple of days or it could be a week, we don’t know yet,” Linares said.

Apartment Building, Residential

Martinsville, VA – Unattended cooking fire at apartment building contained with help from sprinkler system

An accidental fire damaged an apartment complex in Uptown Martinsville late Tuesday night. Martinsville firefighters and EMS were called out to 20 Fayette Street at about 10:35 p.m., after a resident within the building noticed smoke coming from apartment seven. Emergency personnel arrived within three minutes, by which point the complex’s sprinkler system had activated. With the help of Martinsville police, firefighters and EMS personnel got all residents safety out. In addition to the Martinsville department, firefighters from the Collinsville Volunteer Fire Department and personnel from the Henry County Department of Public Safety were on scene to help, containing the fire to just the one apartment. The American Red Cross was also on hand to provide assistance. All of the other tenants in the building were able to return to their apartments by 1 a.m and the residents of apartment seven were relocated to another apartment in the building.

According to Martinsville Fire Marshal Ted Anderson, it’s believed the fire was accidental, caused by some cooking left unattended. Unattended cooking is listed as the number one cause of accidental fires. “Never leave your kitchen while cooking,” advised Martinsville Deputy Fire Marshal Andy Powers. “If you absolutely have to step out for a second, take something with you like an oven mitt to remind you to return promptly to the kitchen.”